Electronics & lighting

Electronics and lighting make up 10% of electricity use in most houses.

Use of gadgets and lights goes up in winter, when days are short and people stay home at night. But new technologies deliver the same quality of experience for a fraction of the energy. Start saving now.

Electronics & Lighting Tips

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LEDs (or light-emitting diodes) are about 10 times more efficient at converting electricity into light than the old-fashioned incandescent bulbs. So a 6W LED delivers the same light as a 60W filament bulb.

But as LEDs are expensive to buy, it is important to weigh the costs and benefits.

Using round figures to keep it simple, "comparethemarket.com" calculated the purchase cost, electricity use and cost, and longevity of incandescent versus LED bulbs in a house with 10 light fixtures. The fictional family is retired, so each light is on for 10 hours per day.

The electricity company charges the Watts used as units of kilowatt hours (kWh).

In fact, it takes just five months to earn back the upfront investment.

Better still, LEDS last a long time. Under EU rules, they should have a minimum lifespan of 6,000 hours – which, at 10 hours a day, would mean at least 18 months. Some manufacturers claim their LEDs last 40 000 hours and can be switched on and off 100 000 times (the moment most likely to snap the filament in a traditional bulb).

If your lights are on at home during the day, and your utility company charges a higher rate during those hours, the savings could be even greater. If, for example, the rate is £0.18/kWh, annual savings for the same scenario would be £345.

What would you do with an extra £149 in your pocket every year? And an extra £345?

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